1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to method and apparatus for controlling temperature and ventilation in an animal confinement building, and more particularly to method and apparatus for opening and closing windows in such building to control temperature and ventilation therein.
2. Description of Related Art
Poultry, swine, and other livestock are typically confined in large buildings for a period of time to optimize the conditions for their growth and health. The confinement buildings are built to hold large numbers of animals, and the temperature inside the buildings and requirement for fresh air replenishment are critical concerns.
Systems to operate curtains for the control of airflow and temperature by varying the amount of ventilation have existed in various forms before the present invention was developed. The present invention represents an improvement over the existing systems. The known systems involve motorized devices that move a fabric curtain to open and close a window aperture of the animal confinement building according to the temperature or pressure within the building. The motor is controlled to move the curtain incrementally to adjust the ambient parameters gradually. Certain of the known systems, an example of which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,644, include provisions to automatically open the curtain actuation device in case of a power failure. Another patent directed to this process is U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,368 in which the amount of electric power required to actuate the curtain system is reduced by the use of balancing counterweights.
In all the known apparatus and prior art, the wall aperture is covered by means of a curtain that is generally made of cloth that is coated on one or both sides for improved wind resistance. The curtain made of cloth material, whether coated or not, is susceptible to deterioration from weather exposure and damage due to scratching or chewing by rodents. Due to susceptibility to damage and rapid weather deterioration, curtains made of cloth material must be replaced every two to four years. Replacement of the curtains is a time consuming and expensive job, in terms of materials as well as labor.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for opening and closing a wall aperture that is substantially resistant to weather exposure and damage caused by rodents.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for opening and closing a wall aperture that is operable with existing mechanisms used for opening and closing known curtains.
It is another object of this invention to provide operating mechanism for positioning panels on the exterior of a wall between substantially opened and closed positions.
It is still another object of this invention to provide mechanism for automatically opening and closing a wall aperture by lowering and raising slats or panels.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide curtains for an animal confinement building formed of a durable material to resist damage by rodents and weather deterioration.
These and additional objects will become apparent through the description that follows.